Our Lines Of Business

Mergers and Acquisitions

We Begin With an End-to-End Approach

Mercer’s approach to M&A starts before the opening of negotiations and continues after the deal’s closed. Mercer’s M&A consultants are experts in advising both corporate and private buyers and sellers, whether they’re private equity or corporate investors. We provide both strategic and technical HR due diligence, rigorous project management, and expert post-merger integration.

Due Diligence

Our comprehensive due diligence analysis helps assess:

Cash flows, P&L costs, and liabilities across a spectrum of human capital areas.

The target company’s talent strategy.

Compensation and equity commitments.

Benefits costs and risks.

Local employment regulations.

Our in-depth experience allows us to help mitigate risks for buyers facing short timeframes and a dearth of information. We also help perform reverse due diligence, helping sellers identify red flags and other impediments to completing a successful transaction.

M&A Project Management

Success is in the details. Our exacting approach to project management combines comprehensive resources with global consulting and transaction specialists. Mercer’s process helps define clear strategic and operational priorities. We help clients clarify governance and develop new protocols; we can manage every aspect of the process from kick-off to post-merger integration — all while meeting timelines, budgets, and expectations.

Post-merger Integration

The deal may be done, but the work of making a merger or an acquisition successful is far from over. Mercer’s M&A consultants can help the new organization merge corporate cultures, clarify governance, comply with legal and regulatory requirements, and develop an effective employee communications strategy. Our goal is to help maximize the synergies between organizations so that the new entity can realize its full value.

Mergers and Acquisitions Solutions

M&A Due Diligence

In a seller’s market, transactions are fast-paced; deals are closed with less information than is ideal, and the risks are high. In a buyer’s market, everything reverses, but not exactly. Private equity and strategic buyers have significantly different requirements around due diligence. A financial buyer’s interest may be limited to only those risks that impact valuation, whereas corporate buyers need to consider factors that have long-term implications.

Project Management Operations (PMO)

The success of any merger or acquisition requires a flawless process and a deep understanding of critical business issues from multiple perspectives. Mercer has proven capabilities in providing project management from an enterprise level, coordinating the legal, IT, and finance functions. Mercer is unequalled in providing real-world execution across the entire HR domain, from payroll and benefits to HR technology and platforms.

Post-merger Integration (PMI)

Today’s seller market means there’s significantly less incentive for sellers to invest time and resources in ensuring an orderly post-close transition and integration for buyers. Pressure on buyers to close deals quickly impacts the complexity of preparing and executing post-merger integration plans.

Private Equity Advisory

An unprecedented amount of dry powder is fueling a seller’s market. Private equity buyers must be able to act with speed, agility, and confidence to keep pace with the tempo set by today’s sellers. Although market dynamics are favoring sellers, the ability to realize a deal’s full potential takes a level of expertise few organizations possess. Mercer is uniquely qualified to help private equity firms, whether buying or selling, to rapidly react and succeed in today’s high-velocity market.